Focusing on all matters related to Estate Law, Estate Planning, Estate Administration, and Estate Taxation, Philadelphia-area Attorney John B. Whalen, Jr. details the services he offers, and his blog gives visitors more information on various topics related to estate planning, administration and taxation. Mr. Whalen provides a full range of services for wills: drafting, review, amendment, revocation, execution and probate. He provides reliable guidance for testators and executors. His …

Pa Probate - 3 - Executors
Be aware that your Executor (or Administrator if the Decedent had no Last Will) will have many responsibilities during the Estate Administration process. The following items are just an example.
Pa Probate - Executors - 3 - Responsibilities
Probating the Last Will and Testament
Providing various mandated court filings
Obtaining an Estate E.I.N. number
Opening an Estate Bank Account
Pa Probate - Executors - 3 - Pa Estate Administration
Preserving the …

The first step is locating the Decedent's original Last Will. Look for two (2) things at this point - (1) the person who will be in charge ("Personal Representative") and those persons who will benefit ("Beneficiaries" or "Heirs"). From this, everything else will follow.
Pa Probate - Last Wills - 2 - Testate
If the Decedent had a Pa Last Will, the Decedent died "Testate" (with a Will). The "Personal Representative" will be named as the Pa Executor (or Executrix which merely means …

Pa Probate - Intro - 1
As I stated in Pa Estate Law – Intro - 1, misinformation about, and misuse of, critical legal terms tends to lead to misunderstandings of estate planning.
These misunderstandings, in turn, tend to lead to mistakes in estate planning.
These mistakes, again, in turn, tend to lead to unintended results after one's death.
Pa Probate - Intro - 1
"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - it's the difference between …

Pa Estate Law - 4 - Fiduciaries
Each Estate Planning Document has a person(s) who is in charge of carrying out the terms of that particular document. Each Estate Planning document designates someone who is responsible for carrying out the wishes set forth in the Estate Planning document. Under Pennsylvania law, the proper terms for these persons are "fiduciaries" and I refer to these people - those in charge - as the "Bosses."
Pa Estate Law - 4 - Fiduciaries - Terms
Under Pennsylvania …